Corn-grader.



PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

0. HUNNIGUTT.

CORN GRADER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.15. 1907.

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No. 870,515. PATENTED NOV. 5; 1907. 0. HUNNIOUTT, CORN GRADEB.

APPLICATION FILED APR-15. 1907.

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CT 124mm PATENT OFFIO CHARLES HUNNIOUTT, OF WILMINGTON, OHIO.

CORN-GRADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed April 15. 1907. Serial No. 368223.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HUNNICUTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wilmington, in the county of Clinton and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Corn-Grader, of which the following is a full,clear, and accurate specification, being such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same withabsolute exactitude.

My present invention relates, more particularly, to a corn-grader havinga screen or grading device for eliminating all undesirable grains, andwith means whereby the screen or grading device may be easily operatedfor the purpose of separating the desirable from the undesirable grainsand depositing them into separate receptacles.

Other objects and particular advantages will be brought out and madeclear in the course of the following specification, and the preferredconstruction is shown most clearly in the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail: Figure 1 shows a plan View ofmy invention as in operative position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of same,except that the screen or grading member is inverted or in eliminationposition. Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the mannerof slidably mounting the screenirame,this view being taken from the linexac of Fig. 2, as looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, andFig. 4 is an isometrical view of a portion of the screen detached. Fig.5 is a cross sectional view taken transversely of Fig. 1. And Fig. 6 isa cross sectional view taken transversely of Fig. 2.

Similar indices denote like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

In order that my invention may be fully understood and its operationproperly appreciated I will now take up a detail description thereof, inwhich I will describe the construction and operation as briefly and ascompactly as I may.

Referring now to the drawings in detail: The letters A and B denote eacha tray or box-like receptacle, which are identical with each other, theybeing hinged together by the hinges a and b whereby when closed togetherthey form a case, but when opened out, as in Figs. 1 and 2, they formtwo separate receptacles.

The letter C designates a screen comprising an apertured metal bottomand a frame therearound substantially as indicated. Said screen shouldbe of a total width approximately the same as the inside diameter of thetrays, and it should be of a length approximately one-fourth less thanthe inside longitudinal length of the trays.

Secured in the outside face of the inner stile of the screen frame aretwo screw-eyes, designated by the numerals 1 and 2.

The numeral 3 designates a rod, having its end portures adapted tosnugly receive the end portions of the prongs 3 and 3 as indicated,whereby, when in place, the rod 3 will be supported in the relativeposition shown in Fig. 3. I

From the above it is apparent that the screen 0 is now slidably mountedfor longitudinal reciprocal movements, and it should be noticed in thisconnection that the length of the rod 3, and the positions of thescrew-eyes 1 and 2, are such that the screen may have only a limitedendwise movement which will not extend the ends of the screen beyond theends of the trays, as is clearly indicated in the drawings.

On the inner face of the outside stile of the tray. A is secured aguide-block 4 for supporting the free side of the screen O when in theposition shown in Fig. 1.

When the trays A and B are closed to form a case, the screen is firstdetached, that is the prongs 3 and 3 are withdrawn from the apertures inthe stile of the tray A, and the screen may be placed inside the case,after which the trays forming the case may be secured by the hook 5,attached to one of the trays, connected to the screw-eye 6, attached tothe other tray, all substantially as indicated. 7

In this exemplification of my invention I have shown a screen-form ofgrader, but it should be under stood that the invention is applicable inconnection with any grading device that can be operated in the mannerdescribed herein.

Operation: The operation of my invention is very simple and effective.It is the desire of every corngrower to secure a uniform stand of corn,for upon this depends the yield in bushels per acre. To get the plantingmachine to drop uniformly and thus secure the above results is thedesideratum contemplated. As no planting machine can drop kernelsuniformly unless the kernels are practically uniform in thickness, thepurpose of the screen O is to eliminate the irregular and otherwiseundesirable kernels. If, now, said screen be mounted as shown in thedrawings it is apparent that if a quantity of grains of corn bedeposited on the screen, when the screen is in the position shown inFig. 1, that if the screen be reciprocated horizontally (and in thisinstance also longitudinally) the grains of corn of a size below acertain thickness will drop through the perforations of the screen andfall into the tray A, after which the screen may beinverted by turningit on the rod 3, as a hinge, to the position in which it is shown inFig. 2, this of course will allow the rejected grains to be dischargedinto the tray B, after which the screen may be turned back to theposition in which it is shown in Fig. 1, and the former operation isrepeated. This operation of the' invention, it s evident, will requirebut one hand of the operator, leaving the other hand free to deposit thegrains on the screen as required. It is of course apparent that thetrays A and B may be dispensed with and the prongs 3 and 3 may beinserted in some relatively stationary object, as for instance the edgeof an ordinary box, in which instance the undesirable grains may bedeposited outside the box, or in a separate vessel provided for thatpurpose. I

The principal utility of my device lies in the fact that I am able tosecure a pivotal motion of the screen in connection with a horizontalreciprocatory motion thereof, and my invention lies more particularly inthe above regardless of the means by which it is accomp ished.

I desire to have it understood that various changes and modificationsmay be made in the details of the construction of my invention withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of theadvantages thereof which are new and useful and which involve invention.

Having now fully shown and described my invention and the best mannerfor its construction and operation to me known at this time, what Iclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A corn grader comprising a grading-device having a corrugated bottomand having slots formed through the bottom in the depressions ofsaid'corrugations, two receptacles hinged together, a hanger-barsupported at its'ends near the juncture of said receptacles, and meansfor pivoting one edge of said grading-device on said bar whereby thegrading-device may be vibrated and inverted.

2. A corn grader comprising a grading-device having a corrugated bottomand having slots formed through said.

bottom, two receptacles hinged together, a hanger-bar supported at itsends near the juncture of said receptacles, and means for pivoting oneedge of said grading-device on said bar whereby the grading-device mayvibrated and inverted.

3. A corn grader comprising a frame having a bottom with elongatedapertures formed therethrough, a hangerbar to which said frame isconnected for endwise reciprocating motion and also by which the frameis pivoted whereby it may be inverted, a receptacle located below theframe when the frame is in operative position, and a sec ond receptaclelocated below the frame when the frame is In testimony whereof I havehereunto subscribed my' name to this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES HUNNICUTT.

Witnesses Dovn WILLIAMS, D, K. HEMPSTEAD.

